


Hearts We Leave Behind - Vormir Alternate Ending

by l_ecrivain



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Character Death, Protective Clint Barton, Protective Natasha Romanov, and he's a hero, and he's aged way up, but i'm also proud so here you go, cooper is a sad boy, cooper is kind of an oc in this, he didn't get dusted, i honestly feel bad oops, more details in the description
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 12:48:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20358754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/l_ecrivain/pseuds/l_ecrivain
Summary: Clint, his son Cooper and Natasha make their way to Vormir to retrieve the soul stone only to learn one of them must sacrifice themself to save the world.***ummm basically what if Clint died instead of Nat (because how dare they kill my wife) ft. a grown Cooper who is also a baby Avenger. (I have a whole team with my friend, but we haven't written any substantial canon following content that would make sense so you only get this for now because I'm proud of it)





	Hearts We Leave Behind - Vormir Alternate Ending

**Author's Note:**

> Hellooo! I haven't published anything in ages and this makes like somewhat sense without having to go into a million avengers oc descriptions so this is what y'all get. though actually if you like this then just leave a review and maybe I'll publish more little snippets of the aforementioned ocs because they are years in the making and I adore them.
> 
> ps. gotta credit my friend who had a big part in developing this version of Cooper into the man he is today. she doesn't have an Ao3 account though so juuuust idk go follow her on tumblr: @thespacebuns
> 
> btw my tumblr is @thebisexualmystarryyy if anyone cares

Cooper grinned half-heartedly as he stared out the front of The Benatar. “That’s so cool,” he whispered, eyes wide as he took in the towering mountains and glassy water.

“Wow,” he heard Clint say to Natasha. “Under different circumstances, this would be totally awesome.”

The young hero looked over at his dad, the grin not quite escaping his expression. “We ready?”

Natasha nodded. “Let’s go get this stone.”

“And get the hell home,” Clint added.

Cooper smirked.

***

Cooper held his hand up to block the snow. “God, how much further?”

“Bet the raccoon didn’t have to climb a mountain,” Natasha huffed.

Clint turned slightly, helping Cooper up a particularly slippery slope. “Technically he’s not a raccoon, you know.”

Cooper snickered as Natasha shot back, “Oh whatever. It eats garbage.”

Clint grinned.

“Welcome,” came a deep voice within the raging storm.

The trio quickly drew their weapons, glancing warily around the mountain top. A shadowy figure floated near the mountain’s edge. Cooper narrowed his eyes, trying to make out a face through the snow and the figure’s hood.

“Natasha,” the figure said, it’s voice deep and accented, “daughter of Ivan.” Cooper glanced over at Natasha, watching as her cool expression was marred by a moment of confusion before smoothing back out. The figure continued, “Clint, son of Edith.” His father’s face remained still. Cooper felt piercing eyes fall on him. “Cooper. Son of Laura.” He forced his expression to remain neutral.

Clint stepped slightly in front of Cooper as they moved closer.

“Who are you?” Natasha asked, holding her gun steady.

“Consider me,” the figure replied, it’s voice now echoing around them, “a guide. To you. And to all who seek the Soul stone.”

“Oh good,” Natasha replied. “You tell us where it is and then we’ll be on our way.”

Cooper glanced between Natasha and the figure, waiting for someone to make a move. He didn’t dare speak.

The figure stepped forward. “Oh liebchen,” it said somberly, “if only it were that easy.” As it spoke it stepped forward, slowly revealing itself. Cooper could see the figure was a man now, though he could have guessed that from the voice. As the pale light fell upon the man’s face, all Cooper could see was red. He took a moment to observe before quietly putting together who was standing in front of them.

Red Skull.

He remained silent as the Red Skull beckoned them forward. They followed warily. Cooper watched Natasha look down over the edge.

“What you seek lies in front of you,” Red Skull began as Natasha stepped back and stood closer to Cooper. Cooper knew what she was doing. Her and his dad both were. But he wasn’t a child anymore. He stepped forward.

“The stone’s down there,” he said, glancing back at Clint and Natasha.

The pair stepped closer to the edge, looking down into the stone valley, alongside Cooper.

“For two of you,” Red Skull stated. “For the other… In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love.”

Cooper swallowed nervously, his eyes darting to Clint. He had a bad feeling about this.

“An everlasting exchange… a soul for a soul.”

They fell silent, staring into the now threatening abyss before them. Cooper sucked in a breath.

_Whatever it takes._

“I’ll do it.”

Instinctually, Clint reached out for Cooper and yanked him back from the edge. “No way. We need to discuss this,” Natasha commanded.

They walked further back to collect their thoughts. Clint didn’t release Cooper’s arm until he was forcing him to sit down on a nearby rock. Nat sat beside him, resting her elbows on her knees, deep in thought.

Cooper opened his mouth to argue, but Clint cut him off. “Don’t even try, Cooper. No way in hell am I letting you do this. It has to be one of us.” He looked at Nat. “Besides, he could be making this shit up.”

Natasha shook her head, her eyes were still unfocused as she thought over the situation, trying to think of every possible solution to what they were faced with. She was coming up empty-handed every time. “No. I don’t think so.”

Clint paced in slow circles. “Why? ‘Cause he knows your daddy’s name?”

Cooper smirked slightly at his father’s remark but quickly dropping the expression when Natasha muttered, “I didn’t.”

Clint turned back to Natasha as she continued, “Thanos left here with the stone; without his daughter. That’s not a coincidence.”

“Yeah,” Clint mumbled, looking out to the mountain peaks, his face sombre.

“Whatever it takes.”

“Whatever it takes.”

_Whatever it takes_, Cooper thought to himself. He knew there was no point in getting involved now.

Natasha stood up. Cooper followed suit. Natasha looked at Clint and said, “If we don’t get that stone, billions of people stay dead.”

Clint nodded shakily. “Yeah…” he started. “Then I guess we both know who it’s gotta be.”

“I guess we do.” Cooper pressed his lips together. He wanted to scream. Yell that this wasn’t fair. That he couldn’t lose either of them. What was he gonna do without his dad? Or without his Auntie Nat? He felt like he was going to fall to pieces. Instead, he just stood there, his face neutral, forcing himself to think of the world.

Natasha grabbed Clint’s hand, looking down at the ground. Clint looked torn. He looked over at his son and pulled him over to them. Natasha placed a hand on Cooper’s arm while Clint wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

Natasha looked over at Clint again as the older man grinned sheepishly. “I’m starting to think we mean different people here, ‘Tasha.”

Natasha sucked in a breath. “The last five years I’ve been trying to do one thing: get to right here. That’s all it’s been about. Bringing everybody back.”

Clint squinted at her. “Now don’t you get all decent on me now.”

“What? You think I wanna do it?” Natasha asked. “I’m trying to save your life, you idiot. For him.” She glanced at Cooper.

Clint looked over at his son. “Yeah, well I don’t want you to,” he argued before facing Natasha again and adding quietly, “Let me fix this for him. Let me do it. Let me make it up to him. ‘Tasha, you know what I’ve done. You know what I’ve become.”

“I don’t judge people on their worst mistakes,” Natasha said softly.

“Maybe you should,” Clint replied, looking back at Cooper. Cooper could see the guilt written all over his face. It had been a long five years. His dad looked older. More worn out. He smiled softly.

Natasha swallowed heavily. “You didn’t.”

Clint squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before saying, “You’re a pain in my ass, you know that right?”

Natasha didn’t respond, just leaning her forehead against Clint’s and pulling Cooper closer. Clint stepped back a moment later. Cooper breathed in, his chest tight. “I love you guys.”

Natasha smiled, mouthing the words back, her eyes shining. Clint squeezed Cooper’s shoulder, the same shiny glint in his eyes, and said, “Love you, buddy.”

Before Cooper could react he was on the ground, having been shoved back, hard. He groaned and rolled over, trying to catch his breath. He looked over to see Natasha pinned down by Clint. “Tell our family I love them,” Cooper heard his dad say. He still couldn’t catch his breath. His back ached from where he landed on a rock. Natasha twisted, knocking Clint off his feet and turning it around on him.

“Tell them yourself,” she said as she aimed her Widow Bites at him. She shot before heading for the edge.

Cooper went to get up, groaning when pain shot up his side. He landed really wrong. He collapsed again. He watched Clint rip the taser off his chest, jumping up and shooting an arrow in Natasha’s direction.

It exploded on impact, knocking Natasha to the side. Clint threw his bow to the ground and started running for the edge.

“DAD!” Cooper screamed, jumping up, ignoring the pain shooting up his side as he dashed toward the edge, to his father. Natasha jumped out in front of Cooper, reaching for Clint while also blocking Cooper. She managed to grab Clint’s hand but his weight gave them too much momentum. She went over too. Cooper’s eyes widened as he jumped forward to grab Natasha’s arm.

He managed it. Just barely. But with two of them hanging over the cliff and pain screaming up his spine, he wasn’t sure how long he could keep it up. Natasha grunted as she tried to get a better grip on Clint’s hand. Cooper grit his teeth, trying to pull them up. He couldn’t.

He closed his eyes, his chest tightening painfully. Natasha looked down at Clint. “I…”

Clint smiled sheepishly. “It’s okay. This is okay. You’ll be okay. All of you.”

Natasha hissed in pain. “But your family.”

“Our family,” Clint corrected. “Our family. Get the stone and bring back our family. Tell them I love them.”

Natasha tried to pull Clint up further. “Tell… them… yourself.”

“It’s okay ‘Tasha.” Natasha looked up at Cooper. He looked terrified. She knew he couldn’t keep this up much longer. She sighed.

“This is for them.” He kicked off the side of the cliff, ripping his hand out of Natasha’s. Natasha gasped quietly.

Cooper watched wide-eyed from above. He couldn’t breathe. He could feel a scream building in his chest before it got caught in his throat. He choked out a sob. Using all his willpower he yanked Natasha back up over the edge of the cliff. Natasha collapsed on the ground near him, her breathing shallow as she tried to hold it together.

Suddenly everything was bright. The yellow light permeating all of their senses. Then it was dark.

***

Natasha woke up alone. In the water that they had seen from the ship. She looked around. She lifted her hands out of the water, searching for the stone. She didn’t have it.

Where was Cooper?

She stood and waded through the knee-deep water. She knew it didn’t get any deeper. It didn’t take her long to find Cooper. He was still sitting in the water. He was curled into himself. Natasha could see he was shaking. She sat down beside him, turning to face him. He was holding the stone. He’d never looked at something so beautiful with so much disgust. He looked over at her, his face wet with tears. She reached her arms towards him, letting him crawl into the embrace.

It wasn’t an unfamiliar situation for them, but it had been a long time. Cooper was so big now. Though at the moment, he’d never felt smaller. Natasha hugged him tightly, running a gentle hand through his hair, muttering “it’s okay” over and over again. She didn’t know whether she was comforting him or herself.

They stayed like that for a little while. Natasha let Cooper catch his breath. “We have to go, маленький,” she finally said quietly.

Cooper wiped his eyes and moved to stand. Natasha pulled him into one final hug. “Я тебя понял.”

Cooper smiled half-heartedly as he recognized the words she’d been repeating since he was a child.

“I got you,” he repeated.

**Author's Note:**

> Russian Translations
> 
> Я тебя понял - I got you
> 
> маленький - little one
> 
> also disclaimer I'm using google translate so who knows those could be totally wrong... I'm gonna learn russian one of these days lol


End file.
